Automobile-body construction



' Patentd Dec. 2, 1919.

)1 TTORWEY INVEN TOR M QJM P. A. SCHWAB.'

AUTOMOBILE BODY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLFCATION FILED JULY 14. I911.

3T0 all coli'om m ayj concern nr smmw OFFICE. 1

PE ER SCHWABQOF'NEW YoR ,-1\I. Y.',f ASSIGNOR roIAnAMs-WInLInMs MANUFAC- 1 rUn no conroRATIon, or'nnw Yong, 1\T.,Y.',A oonronrrrron ornnw Yorm.

Be it known that I, PETEitAgSGHWA-BQ.

citizen of the United States, and? resident of;v 'NewYorlrcity,, in the county ofVNeW York 1anclI'Stateof New York; have invented certamnew and useful Improvements in'Automobile-Body Constructions, or whichf the V following is a specification,

This inventlon 1s an lmprovement auto- SpecificationotLetters I'aten't:

mobile' body construction and relates to the.

means -for detachably securing in place: the.

transparentpanels used, in converting"- the;

bodyinto either an open touring car'ror a closed l1mous1n'e.- l he 111V6I1t1011-j'1S? par ,ticularly adapted to that type shown in;

the -Wil-liams Patents Nos. 1,151-,3L4 and 1,151,315 of August 24th, 1915, in whichthe panels, have rigid frames with depending lugs for insertion in sockets in the upper edges'iof the hingedw or stationary wall" sec tions of thebody- By means of my inventiongl-provide rlgld construction, ln'expenslve to manufao:

lture, attractive in appearance and ;easy"to cars during: manufacture or after being a completed and in use and"constituting a "apply to the various types of open touring clamping. members entirely concealed-z Thedetails of merely one embodiment-0f my invention will be explained: in connection with the "accompanylng drawlngs 1n wh1ch- Figure 1 is a side" elevation; of abody con-Yo struction'inconnection with which my improved construction mightbeemploy'ed;

.Fig. 2 is a'perspective'view of a portion of the'wall section, the molding strip being longitudinally displaced Figs. :3 and a horizontal bow -extending;substantially parallel to; I the; upperi I edge of the v body proper' 'and secured tothe upper edge of thewind shield stanchions 15. Intermediate these stanchlonsan'd an upwardly extending bow 1630f the top, there ,a-rejprovided four: panels 17 '18, -Y19-and20, corresponding to the" four b0dysections ;l0;l11512 and 1-3 and' each" rigidly secured to its: corresponding Wallsectiom y w These panel's include rigid- ;Era-mes carrying I transparent plates of glass,. celluloid or other substance suitable for the purpose;

The upper edges ofthe panels. 17" and .l8

which are carried by the stationary parts oi the body maybe secured tothe horizontal bow ofthe tops-in anysuitahlemanner if desired, while thepanels' 1'9 and 20 being car ried by the hinged wallsections or" doors .12 a'n'dllB are preferably not secured to the top but may resiliently press againstlit as the doors-are? closed.

The:,Wa-ll= sectionsilOglll 15213,- may vary in number and: Width, depending upon, thetype ofcanj In bodies rwith only a single door, there may be" three; panels,',one

carried by the door and one carried byithel stationary-Wall section in: advanceozt and,

oneintherrear or said door. In other body constructions, no panel in front of the door need lee-employed and thus there would be 7 only two panels onneach'side, one'carried' the door an'dthei'other carried by the stationary wall inthe; rear ofthe door.

5 The features of: construction so; far re ferred to i-ndetail form no portion of my inventionand are illustrated anddeseribed 41am transverse sections in" parallel planes indicated by the line's 3 -3 and M respectively ofFi-g. 5; V

the molding strip, the center portion being broken away;and Fig; 6 is a side elevation.

of the upper 'edge 'oi the wall and thelower' edge of the panel spaced" relationship InFig. 1, I have shown. a portion of anauto'mobile having the usual body including stationarywall sections 10and 11,- and-intermediate hinged wallsections or doors" 12' and 13. Thebodyiat its rearsu-pports the frame work" of atype "ofjtop; commonly known as? a ,on'e man top'H and which has merely-to facilitate acl'ear understanding'of apreferred use of my inventionJ, I

v The wall sections,'; whether; stationary or hinged. are: ordinarily formed of a wooden frame 21'withan' outer sheet metal covernag- 2 2 which isordinar-ily folded or roundedover the frame at the upper edge oi the latter tog-ivethe all section a smooth" and attractive finished appearance andto conceal andprote'et the frame; My invention relates p articularly- Ito: form of. ldi t i whichimay be -embodied in th'e cariatthe:

time the body is-huilt or may be substituted for such; finishing strip as may be embodied" in thecar or may be directly attached, to

proved construction ,inoljudes'a block? 23;

.the finished upperedge-ofi the wall: section;

Inthei 'speeific torm, illustrated; my i-:rn Ll- 0 V edges are rounded or ourvedto avoid the presentation of sharp angles; {The block' may be of any desired length, although p rei'ej erably it is merely of sufii eientlengthto give;

preferably of cast metal and I stantially equal to the desired Width of the molding. Preferably, the opposite side en eared ngiaaynm strength. It has" vertical slot 24v adj aeent tof the 'o'uteiysir'le and a recess 25 in the oppositeor inner V812 tical'edge. Extending from the recess 25 to the "vertical slot 24.; is a substantially horizontally disposed threaded passage 26. At

suitable points in the block are vertically disposed apertures through which screws-Z27 or other fastening means inay' I be inserted j down into thewo'odor' other materialform ing airigid part ofthe-Wall section The V of each block may be out atsuchangles that the blocks are} interchangeable f'w'herebyf i adj went to} block preferably extends only' a: smallro portion of the; distance between the ends of the Wall sectionand'prefe'rably tWo bloeks are employed for each wallse'etion, onebeing' disposed 'closelyadja'oent to and prete'r ably flush with the correspondingvertical edge of the Wall section. The-"opposite endseither block may be secured either'edgeof the Wall sectioni" s In connection with the pluralityoffl V on each Wallsectiomlprovide a-sheetimetal molding strip of a length substantially equal 'to the Wall section andof a cross-sectional 'jorin 'adapting it {to slide endwise over the blocks and bee held in place thereof As shown, this strip '28 has curved-side Walls. with inturned' flanges 29 "adapted*t0 pair of slots 31eorresponding to the twoslide yvithin undercut groovesBQin the" "lower surface of 1 the 7 block whereby the strip may be removedionly by a l'ongitudi ,nal or sliding'fmovement; The strip has a slots 1 24 of the -tWo blocks and l and preferably-does have a longitudinally eX-' tending bead-32 serving as a-weather strip as will be n1orepartioularly pointed out; hereinafter. I o Eachpai'ielhas a rigid frame 33 presenting depending lugs 34 rigid with the frame and vcorresponding"in nurnber and size tothe: slotsQ in the "blocks 23. The lugs are preferably of a height slightly less than the depth of the slots 24 and of such 'oross SBCtlOIliLliLIQft that they mayfbe readily inserted in or withdrawniro n'the slots.

i For rigidly holding them-inplace-Within said slots,ieaeh block has a clamping screw maybe of '35 extending through the threaded aperture V screw, the end engages W1tl1 the "side of the lug 34 and 26." Upon tighteningthis firrnly binds the latter against the far side of the slot and holds the panel against 're metal or lateral movement; a, The f-s'cre'W 35 suoh length as to projeetbeyond the side-of the. block '23 and-may have its I blocks as to lugs, a pair of jouter" and" "a assi ns be away o. grasp d in thehand, to loosen oritighten the j' same; Preferablythe' screw has aheadpor-. v

ti'on 36 non-circular in cross sectionfanddis- V posed} Withindhe recess :25. The moldlngstripf2 8has' an aperture 87 in alinement ;Wltl1 illi6fS,Q1"eW'aHd somewhat larger: than theatre-stthan key maybe inserted through -the,aperture 375into thec recess 25 7 and engage withthesorewto loosen or tighten the latter. Whe rloosenedthe "panel i Q has sufficientfree play to laerjniit-the' lateral 'movenientof the upper edge of the panelin case-sit is desired to 'swing the'latter out-g; Wardly' from beneath the topal before lift ing .thedugsiM outi'oi -the slots=24i ."'*W1th the panel in place; "it-' rests .di'reetlyjpupon the molding strip} and; the lugs. ofthe panel are concealed Within fthe slots. The head 32 preventsrani gvater from f beating in unparent from Fig. 3' and' therecess 25 :iseryes V to concealthe end ofthee clanipingscrewf; J

so'that-there areno projecting parts upon; 7

whioh one-rn'ay catch" his clotliing in getting in or out of the-oar. The heavy screws-orother fastening qnean'sji which retain t; the blocks 23 in pos-itionare entirely concealed by the moldingstripf28; The/entire straini of clamping; and; supporting} the panels borne by the heavy blocks rather than by thelight 'sheet :rnetall niolding. 'ilhd-ih ldin ma beheld in :aosition and-a ainst lon b b i gitudinal-sliding movement in a; suitable; I V

1 00 ,scre'wfr89 as s'howlr1n1F1gs.

manner, a'sgfor instanoe, nieansfofiasniall single; retalnlng land5.'-

It will be apparent that the cross seotional I no particular importane'eso far asllmy in in endwise. i

auing thus described, invention Whatl claim1asinew'and-desire tols'eeure. by

Letters Patent,- is f f r 1 'A convertible iautomobile bod:

ing-a Wall sect1on,,-aremovable panelhavlng,

' a plurality of depending lugs; a plurality-of separate members rigidlyjsecured .to' the:

upper 'edge of said jvall section and 'each having lug receiving: socket'therein, separate means for clamping each 'lugi'within lts.

corresponding socket' and a molding strip longitudinally slidablego er Tsaid members to cover the same and 7 having. lug receiving aperturesregistering 'Wlth said'socket's; o

In' coi'n'binatiom a wall' lseotionfia rem0vab1e panelhaving a pair of depending blocks secured to the upper e e of said wall section "at spaced points and each having a lugreceiving socket, a molding strip slidable endwise over said blocks to inclosethe latter and having apertures registering with the sockets of said blocks, and separate means for clamping each lug within its socket.

8. In combination, a wall section, a removable panel having a pair of depending lugs, a'pair of blocks secured to the upper;

edge of said wall section at spaced points and each having a olug receiving socket, amolding strip slidable endwise over said blocks to inclose the latter and having aper tures registering with the sockets of said blocks, and separate means for clamping each lug within itssocket,sa1d 'means being 1 carried by said blocks and inclosed within said molding strip.

4. In combination, a block adaptedto be secured to the'upper edge of a wall section, and havin'g a lug receiving socket therein and a clamping member extending into said socket for clamping enga ement with the lug in the latter, and-a mol ing strip slidable endwise over said block and having an ap er- V ture registering with said socket and an aperture registering with said clamping member. V I

. 5. In combination, a block having a lug receivingsocket extending substantially vertically,arecess in one side edge f thereof,

and athreaded passage extending from said recess to'said socket, a clamping member eX-- tending through said aperture and hav ng oneend terminating in said socket and having a head disposed'within said recess and a "molding strip covering said block and having an aperture registering with said socket and a second aperture registering with said. recess.

6. In combinatioma blockhaving a vertically disposed socket in the upper surface thereof and a threaded aperture extending substantially horizontally to said socket, a

threaded clamping member within said aperture having one end terminating in said socket and a'molding strip having dependm turned edgesslidable beneath the side edges :of said block.

side walls terminating in inwardly 7. In combination, a vehicle body] wall, a

thereof, and a threaded passage smaller than said recess and extending therefrom to said socket, and a clamping. memberextending through said aperture. and having one end terminating in said socket and having a head disposed within said recess.

'8. A convertible automobile body including a wall section, a removable panel having a pair of spaced depending lugs, a pair of spaced members separately secured vto the 'upperedge of said wall section and each having a socket therein, clamping members {block secured to the upper edge thereof, and Y 7 having a lug receiving socket extending sub-f stantially vertically, a recess inone side edge adaptedto engage with said lugs when the latter are within said sockets, -and a remov able strip extending along the upper edge of saidwall section and covering said members and having apertures registering with said,

sockets. i

9. A. convertible automobile body includ-- ing a wall section, a removable panel having apair of depending lugs, a pair of members,

of said wall section at spaced points, eaoh "of said memb'ers having a lug receiving socket and a threaded-aperture intersecting the same, a sheet metal strip covering said first mentioned members and said securing means and having apertures. registering withlsaid' sockets .and said passages, and

clamping members within said threaded passages.

Signed 9th day of July, A. D. 1917.

PETER A. SCHWAB.

at New York city, in the county of r New York, and State of New York, this 

